C-2 GAY PEOPLE's ChroNICLE PRIDE GUIDE 1998

Show, march and picnic to mark Michigan Pride

by Anne Hansknecht

Lansing The largest Pride event in the state of Michigan will be held June 19-21 in Lansing, and promises to be a weekend of fun and festivities.

"We're looking forward to a great weekend celebrating Pride in Michigan's capital city," said Lisa Hansknecht, senior cochair of Michigan Pride, Inc., “and we're planning a ton of activities; something for everyone who attends."

Friday night June 19 kicks off the statewide Pride weekend. The group "Remember My Name" will host an opening ceremony celebration at the Central United Methodist Church, 215 N. Capital, Lansing, from 7 to 9 pm. In addition, Michigan Pride will be throwing a dual celebration Friday night at the Lansing Center.

For those who enjoy comedy, we are proud to announce that Suzanne Westenhoefer will perform and deliver all the fun and laughs you could ever want. Westenhoefer, who currently makes her home in Columbus, is one of the premiere out comediennes in the country.

If comedy isn't your thing, dance the night away at our Planet Pride Dance Party, which will be DJed by Mark Vallese of Chicago. Mark has DJed for the Phoenix Rising Party in Miami, the Manhole Infusion in Chicago, and Detroit's Geared for Life Party.

Saturday June 20 will begin early for those who really want to experience a total weekend of Pride. As the day begins, "Remember My Name" will sponsor a remembrance ceremony for those we have loved and lost to AIDS. This event will take place from 8:00 am to noon on the Michigan Capitol steps.

For those who haven't had their caffeine fix yet, Club 505 will serve free donuts and coffee beginning at 11 am.

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Lining up for the March will officially begin at noon, Saturday, June 20. "We plan on making a lot of noise,” explained Jennifer, a volunteer on the march and rally committee, "We'll be cranking out the tunes and be rousing the marchers."

Once everyone is in their correct spot and excited about marching, the parade will step off at 1 pm., hit the streets of downtown Lansing, and head for the Capitol lawn.

"We're really excited this year about the march because we already have a bunch of floats including Los Lobos M.C. (a women's motorcycle group), Diversions of Grand Rapids, Affirmations of Ferndale, Third Coast magazine, and the Michigan International Gay Rodeo Association, which should liven things up," Jennifer added.

Waiting at the Capitol steps and welcoming the marchers will be Trixie Deluxxe, who will once again be emceeing this year's rally. Ms. Deluxxe is the only drag queen in Michigan to be an onair personality for a major radio station. Trixie hosts the morning drive time slot for WDRQ radio in Detroit, Michigan.

"We are thrilled to have Trixie come back this year," said David Biro, "because she is really one funny lady and helps get the crowd rocking."

Following the rally will be the third annual Capitol Commitment Ceremony sponsored by the Washtenaw Rainbow Action Project. This year's celebrant will be Penny Hackett, who is with the United

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Universalist Church. "She is wonderful," said Beth Bashert of WRAP, who sponsors the event. “I hope you think she is as wonderful as I do."

Last year, over 50 couples participated in the ceremony, and we hope to have many more celebrate their commitment to each other this

year.

The festivities will continue once again at a festival on the Washington Square Pedestrian Mall, between Michigan Avenue and Shiawassee Street. The attractions at the festival will include a beer tent sponsored by Miller Brewing Co., a dance tent sponsored by Diversions of Grand Rapids, an international food court, tons of vendors booths, as well as a "Living Safe" area co-sponsored by Lansing Area AIDS Network.

The Living Safe area will have several groups from across the state educating and providing information on a range of health related issues. The importance of issues such as AIDS and breast cancer awareness

and prevention, young adult and teen related topics, substance abuse and domestic violence will be related through such activities as skits, informational booths, "Condom Police," and interactive games.

Saturday night after the festival has ended, head to Old Town for a “Dancing in the Streets" party hosted by Real World Emporium and the Esquire Club. Or if clubbing is more your style, head to any one of Lansing's local bars: Esquire, Paradise, or Club 505.

Sunday, wrap up the weekend with an impromptu, bring-your-own picnic at the Potter Park Zoo picnic grounds in Lansing. Transgendered Michigan will host this event from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. And as a reminder, Potter Park does not allow animals within the park, so please leave Fido or Fifi happy at home.

In addition, if you're planning to stay in town over the weekend, we have reserved a block of rooms at the Lansing Radisson Hotel at a discounted rate. If you want to take advantage of this offer, call the Radisson at 517-482-0188 and mention Michigan Pride when you make your reservation.

Anne Hansnecht is a coordinator of Michigan Pride.

National Women's Music Festival changes location

by Tracy Horn

Indianapolis-The National Women's Music Festival is moving. The new location is Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana (one hour northeast of Indianapolis), and the new dates are June 25 through 28. The change of location is a result of building renovations at Indiana University, where the festival has been located for the past 16 years. I.U. expects its auditorium renovations. to take 2 years to complete. People who have attended the festival may remember that mainstage was held in the auditorium.

"We were very upset about the change initially," said festival producer Mary Byrne. "But

it looks like Ball State will be a wonderful place for us to have the festival. The buildings are much closer together, and we have many more options for performance spaces. We were content at I.U. and hadn't looked for anything else because we never had to."

Although attendees had requested for many years that the festival be held later in the summer, the festival was never able to change its dates because of other conference scheduling at I.U. The best available dates at Ball State happened to be later in the summer. Many teachers will be thrilled that the new dates will not compete with final exams. Byrne states emphatically that "teachers and students everywhere are going to love these dates because it's after the school year ends." Festival organizers have been putting together an all-woman star lineup featuring tried-and-true artists as well as aspiring artists for the 24th annual festival.

Festival planners anticipate bigger attendance numbers for the 1998 festival because of the date change and the closer proximity to northern Ohio and Michigan. Attendance normally runs between 2,200 and 2,500 for the weekend festival.

The National Women's Music Festival is the oldest women's festival in the country and is unique in that all of the events are held indoors. All concerts, workshops, and events are held in campus facilities, and participants stay in a campus dorm or local hotels.

"Nothing gets rained out or canceled because of weather," Byrne said. "Plus, it's geared for women who don't want to do the

camping thing and want a nice, relaxing vacation that involves lots of women."

The purpose of the festival is to provide a space for women to come and share their talents and ideas. For festivalgoers, it means a great time. Along with the mainstage and day stage performances, festivalgoers attend

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workshops and intensives on a variety of topics.

More than 65 craftswomen and artists set up a mini shopping mall where merchandise ranging from vitamins to works of art and from drums to handmade clothes are available for purchase.

There will be three evening mainstage concerts, two day stage concerts and a variety of workshops and intensives to choose from that support women's lives, interests, and concerns.

Among many musical performers, the festival will feature Suede, Lucie Blue Tremblay, Voices of Africa, and Holly Near. Guest speakers include Dorothy Allison and Professor Anita Hill.

Comedians Kate Clinton, Karen Williams, and Vickie Shaw will be on hand to tickle your funny bone on Sunday afternoon.

Intensives include pain management; financial planning, interracial relationships, archiving your papers, experiential writing, the Internet and the Web, emotional and sexual intimacy for healthy relationships, sexism and self-expression, and many more.

For more information about the Festival, you can call 317-927-9355; write P.O. Box 1427, Indianapolis, IN 46206; send e-mail to wia@indy.net; or check out the web page at http://www.al.com/wia.